Use Organic Materials in Your Zen Bathroom

If you need a respite from your busy life, consider transforming your bathroom into a personal refuge. Follow this simple path to striking a balance among the five Japanese elements — fire, earth, water, wind and sky — and creating an authentic, Zen-inspired design.

• Blend copper faucets and stone sinks with airy rice-paper screens.

• Move the mountain inside the house with stacked pebble tiles.

• Add cast-concrete sinks, which have the look and feel of carved stone and create an important grounding balance in your bathroom.

• If you want to get the Zen look for less, consider installing bamboo laminate countertops.

• Add an authentic touch with teak, a popular wood in Zen design. Place a teak stool in the shower and teak floor mats outside the tub — no remodeling necessary. If you are remodeling, build a teak bench next to the tub.